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Access to comprehensive local data about the people and communities of Maine is vital for the public interest groups that work in the state's expansive rural regions. Beginning in the summer of 2007, the Center for Community GIS (the “Center”) launched a pilot project to identify, gather, and map local data sets of interest to public health and social services organizations tasked with delivering, assessing, and integrating services and programs within Greater Franklin County.
The goal of the Greater Franklin County Community Health Status Mapping Project was to utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to provide critical geographic context for organizations working to promote community health and wellness in this region of western Maine. Over two summers of work, Center staff collected data to map the distribution of Greater Franklin County's people, services, and assets.
"Greater" Franklin County service area includes the towns and townships of Franklin County plus six adjacent communities (Livermore, Livermore Falls, Fayette, Mount Vernon, Vienna, and New Portland).
The effort to identify and map the best available information was largely accomplished thanks to two interns and an AmeriCorps Member (Helen Hemminger, Katri Mallory, and Tyler Duran). Funding support for this work was provided by Healthy Community Coalition (www.fchn.org/hcc) and Western Maine Community Action (www.wmca.org).
A one-page information sheet on the potential uses of GIS by public health and social services organizations can be downloaded by(clicking here). |
